Improvement in machines for shaking cigar-bunches



Patented July 15, 1873.

N m A M T H w m m M w W m w J m A a M W D Machines for Making GigarBunches.

m W m w%, M l M W W DANIEL A. WIGHTMAN, OF EAST GREENWIGH, ASSIGNOR TOSOGRATES SOHOLFIELD, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR MAKING CIGAR-BUNCHES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 140,860, dated July 15,1873; application filed July 8, 1872. I v

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DANIEL A. WIGHTMAN, of East Greenwich, in the countyof Kent and State of Rhode Island, have invented an Improvement inMachines for Making Gigar- Bunches, of which the following is aspecification:

The nature of my invention consists in so controlling the movements oftwo or more separatelyacting feeding devices arranged to force thetobacco forward to the knife and sizing-chamber of a cigar-machine, thatthe action of one of the independent feeding devices will not so affectthe movement of the one next in succession toward the knife as toprevent the desired uniform action upon the tobacco in thesizingchamber. My invention also includes an improved mode ofconstructing and operating the receiving and discharging chamber forsizing the fillers. It also consists in a tobacco-feeding devicecomposed of spur-disks arranged alternately with the necessaryintervening bars upon the same shaft, the said combination constitutinga desirable feed-roll, and in addition thereto providing for one side ofthe throat or passage through which the tobacco is forced into thesizing-chamber. I,

Figure 1 is a sectional side view of a cigarmachine as arranged toillustrate my improvements. Fig. 2 is a front view of the same. Fig. 3is a side view. Fig. 4: is a partial view of the side opposite toFig. 3.Fig. 5 is a partial longitudinal section and top view of the combinedspur roll and bars. Figs. 6 and 7 are side views of one of the bars anda spurdisk, of which the combined spur roll is formed.

In the drawing, A A is the frame of the machine. B is a hopper, intowhich the loose tobacco may be first placed. 0 (l O are spur-rolls madeto revolve by means of the weights D and D operating through theratchets E and E to produce a uniform pressure in a sizing-chamber froma variable movement in the feeding device, as set forth and claimed byme in an application for a patent filed November 21, 1872. Theweights 1) and D may be raised preparatory to their action upon therolls by means of the slotted bars F and F? connected to the outer endof the rocking-arm Gr. To the slide J is attached the knife j used tocut off the required quantity of tobacco to form a cigar, and also toretain the tobacco in the throat or passage H while the chamber I isbeing thrown open in order to remove the inclosed filler. The slide Jmay be operated'by means of the connecting-bars K K, cranks L L and Lupon the shaft M and the bar N with a pin, a, operating in the groove ofthe cam o placed upon the-shaft P, or by other suitably-arranged de-'vices.

The machine shown for rolling on the binders is similar in constructionto those hereto- .fore used by others for this purpose, and itsoperating-jaw Q may be closed upon the filler by the action of asuitably-arranged spring or weight. I

The opening of the machine against the closing action of theabove-mentioned spring or weight for the purpose of discharging thefinished bunch and receiving a fresh filler, as

represented in Fig.3, may be readily effected by means of the bar Sconnecting with the rocking-lever T, which is operated by meansv of thebarUand pin a, in connection with the cam V, upon the shaft P. Theslides W W arranged upon opposite sides of the machine within the frameA A are connected to each other by the bar X, which forms the top of thechamber I, and also by the rod Y. To the slides W W is also hinged thejaw Z forming two other sides of the chamber 1, and to which is attachedthe arm a provided with a pin, b, engaging with the cam-slide 0. Uponsliding back the chamber I, as shown in Fig. 3, and thus allowing thepin 1) to come in contact with the cam surface a, the jaw Z will bethrown open and the inclosed filler dropped from thence into thebinding-machine.

By the employment of a chamber, I, an ranged to draw directly back fromthe knife in opening to release the tiller, there is great danger ofdropping some of the smaller pieces of tobacco on the way to thebinding-machine I therefore arrange a cam-surface, c, which Frrcn.

will operate to cause the jaws of the chamber to be more tightly closedupon the tobacco to retain it as soon as the chamber has been startedfrom the knife, the pressure being continued until the jaws are thrownopen by the action of the cam-surface 0 upon the pin 1).

The sizing-chamber I maybe held to its seat against the knife, as shownin Fig. 1, by means of a spring or weight arranged to exert its force inthe direction of the arrow 6, or by a suitable cam, and may be thrownback to discharge its load in timely relation to the action of the knifeor gate j, by means of the bar f forming a connection between therocking arm T and the rocking-lever h, which is pivoted upon the shaftP, the outer end of the lever operating to move the slides W W againstthe action of the before-menijsifoned spring or weight by striking therod As preferably arranged, and as shown in the drawing, the jaws of thebinding-machine will be about half opened at the time the chamber Ifirst commences to receive its backward movement, for the purpose ofdischarging the inclosed filler.

The spur-rolls O O and O are formed of separate disks 0 O, which, withthe intervening bars k k, are held upon a shaft, m, as

.shown in Fig. 5, the bars 70 70 being held loosely, while the disks 0(J are secured so as to turn with the shaft, by means of the pins 11 v,which enter the slots 10 w. Fig. 6 shows a side view of one of theintervening bars k, when made in suitable form, to be used for the topof the throat or passage H. The thickness of the bars and disks may befrom one-eighth to one-quarter of an inch, as deemed most desirable.

When the throat or passage H is filled with tobacco, which is acted uponby several rolls at the same time, a difficulty is experienced, incausing the rolls to turn properly, from the fact that the spurs do notsink into the mass in the direction of their points, but more in thedirection of their sides, the previously-compacted tobacco exerting aconsiderable resistance to such penetration; I therefore arrange toprevent the action of each alternate roll, in a series, by means ofsuitable devices operated in timely relation to the opening and closingmovement of the knife or gate j, and thus the roll 0 nearest the knife,will not be crowded or obstructed in its proper movement by the actionof the roll 0 which would be the case were they both allowed to act uponthe tobacco simultaneously.

When the knife or gate j is down, as shown in Fig. 3, the pawl o,engaging with the ratchet 19, will prevent the forward movement of theroll 0 but the pawl 0 being at the same time raised by the pin q of thebar K out of contact with the teeth of the ratchet 0 allows the roll 0to turn so as to force the filling along the curved portion of thepassage H into the space between the rolls 0 and 0 but, when the gate jis afterward raised, the pin q will strike the pawl 0, disengaging itfrom the teeth of the ratchet p, and the corresponding upward movementof the pin q will allow the pawl o to strike down into the teeth of theratchet p. The operating movement of the roll G being thus effectuallychecked during the time that the gate j is raised will allow the forwardroll 0 to draw the tobacco from a state of rest in the passage H, thuspermitting the spurs to act freely without being subject to the crowdingaction of the roll 0 as heretofore experienced. The tobacco in thesizingchamber will therefore be influenced only by the weight D, whichoperates the the roll 0 producing the uniform pressure in thesizingchamber desired.

The same object may also be attained by means of pawls placed betweeneach roll of the series, and operating directly upon the tobacco in thepassage H. Such an arrangement is shown in Fig. 1, where the gate j willoperate as a sufficient stop for the roll 0 and the pawl r for'the roll0, it being attached to the lever s, and so controlled by the pins t it,upon the slide J, that whenever the knife is raised, so that the roll 0can be allowed to turn, the pawl 1' will be thrown down into the tobaccobetween the rolls 0 and 0 thus preventing the movement of the roll 0 andthe consequent crowding or choking of the roll 0 The principle aboveillustrated, for securing a uniform pressure in the sizing-chamber of acigar-machine, is capable of application to a variety of devices'forfeeding tobacco; I do not therefore restrict myself to the use ofspur-rolls in this connection, but include in my claim its applicationto control the action of any series of feeding devices, whose joint andsimultaneous action may, when unrestricted, produce a greater pressurein the sizing-chamber than when such action is limited to a single oneof the series. I am thus enabled to guard the tobacco in thesizingchamber from undue pressure in extending the system of variableseparately-driven rolls, or other feeding devices, to the full extentdesired in any case.

The chamber I, instead of being attached to the slides W W, may bearranged to swing in the arc of a circle, the cam-slide 0 being in suchcase correspondingly curved. The movable jaw Z may also be hinged at thepoint y instead of the point no, and thus form but one side of thechamber 1 instead of two, as represented in the drawing.

I claim as my invention- 1. The feeding-rolls G and G or any equivalentfeeding devices, in combination with-a throat or passage, H, and knifeor gate, 3', when the said feeding devices are controlled in theirforward movements in such a mannerlthat one of them will be caused tooper= ate when the gate is raised, and the other when it is down,substantially as described.

2. The sizing-chamber I, with .a hinged lower jaw, in combination withthe arm a, pin b, and the cam-slide 0, or their equivalent, operatingsubstantially as described.

3. A throat or passage, H, when formed either on one or both sides bythe bars k k, arranged between the spur-disks C 0 upon a a shaft, m,substantially as described.

DANIEL A. WIGHTMAN.

Witnesses IRA QBEAMANS,

D. B. POTTER.

